Jose de la Isla: Obesity among Hispanics exacerbated by food industry

The Hispanic Institute of Washington, D.C., recently released a report: “Obesity: Hispanic America’s Big Challenge.” It’is in line with the developing conventional thinking that some Latino community groups are too cozy with the food industry.

Commercial interests are flooding stores with sugary soft drinks and other foods that are too salty and fatty. Hispanic families have favorable demographics for increasing sales. Unfortunately, this also contributes greatly to the national obesity problem.

Among the solutions: The institute urges national Hispanic organizations not to accept funds from companies whose products hurt people and for whom those groups exist as advocates.

The institute’s report stands out by going a step further than simply serving as just one more criticism of food-industry products. It examines the marketing as well and the politics of goodwill behind some of the support given to Latino organizations.

“Of course, we’re responsible for what we eat and drink,” says the institute’s president, Gus West, “but we’re also subject to the effects of massive advertising and misleading promotional campaigns — especially on our children and the poor.”

He adds, “We also need the community organizations to walk away from funding by the processed food and big sugary drink companies.”

Hispanic organizations “broke with tobacco companies” in the 1990s, West notes, and “they can do it again now with these companies.”

The issue may have hit the fan recently when some Hispanic organizations sided with bottlers opposing New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s efforts to downscale the supersizing of high-calorie, sugary soft drinks. The arena is moving from policy issue to private interest because bottlers such as Coca-Cola and PepsiCo have been so heavily involved in funding Hispanic organizations, as reporter Luis Carlos Lopez recently pointed out on news site Voxxi.com.

High sugar content as an important element leading to obesity worldwide is increasingly proving indisputable. Diabetes rates show that. Even the Grocery Manufacturers Association has responded with improved industry nutrition labeling that is expected to be complete by year’s end. It is intended as a good-faith measure to better inform consumers.

But the heart of the matter might not be all about nutrition. By the Hispanic Institute’s definition, it’s also about how high-level national Latino organizations are fed by major corporations. Some community groups compromise their loyalties, or don’t see the difference between their community mission and serving their patrons who support their activities.

A colleague, Dr. James Lamare, reported on an event right before President Barack Obama was to speak at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute. First came a commercial message from the dinner’s sponsors: AT&T, JPMorgan Chase, McDonald’s and Time Warner Inc.

Some national Hispanic organizations have been criticized for their defense of deregulated media ownership, which is more in the interest of corporate ownerships than Latino consumers and better news and information performance.

There’s a growing concern that because of strong corporate sponsorships, the National Council of La Raza is cozier with industry titans than with the constituents they should be protecting and the broad Latino purpose.

Just like the political conundrums of the past that go unresolved, the game now moves to the next issue, a huge conflict of interest. This one is going to be about obesity. In whose interest is it to take what measure? Or not to take action?

The Hispanic Institute, like a weather vane, has already pointed in one direction the wind is blowing. The outcome will have winners and losers. Will they be the powerful commercial interests, or a public concern over health and nutrition improvement?

The issue will be framed as a public policy one. But the reality — what’s really in contention — is whose line we are being fed.